STORY and PHOTOS by TAM NGUYEN, Nguoi Viet
ANAHEIM, Calif. ― Sure, it’s great watching hockey on television. Lots of cameras. No crowds. Instant replay.
The Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars take to the ice during the pregame warm-ups at the Honda Center prior to Game 6 of the opening round of the playoffs.
It’s even better watching the National Hockey League playoffs in person.
And there I found myself, sitting in the Honda Center, waiting for the faceoff of Game 5 of the opening-round playoff match between the home Anaheim Ducks and the Dallas Stars. It was the pivotal game of the best-of-seven series, the teams knotted at two wins each.
While I’ve been to hockey games before, this was my first postseason match. And I entered the evening with some hesitation. All day, in anticipation of the game, I had a feeling the Ducks could find themselves in trouble.
As I arrived at the Honda Center, I spotted cars decked out with Ducks gear. Orange flags with the Ducks logo flew from car windows; Ducks vinyls stuck to car windows. Many of the 17,000 fans walked into the arena wearing their Ducks jerseys; a smattering of Dallas fans wore theirs.
I was meant to be here. My buddy tagged along with me to his first-ever hockey game.
“This is amazing, so much better than watching it on television,” said Jimmy Nguyen, 28, of Garden Grove. While he doesn’t follow the game as fervently as I do, he still understands the basics of the game. At least he didn’t pester me with questions of “What happened?” after every play stoppage.
Before the puck dropped, the fans waved their orange towels. They yelled at the top of their lungs as the teams took the ice. It was as loud as a rock concert.
The Anaheim Ducks distributed playoff towels to fans.
Never had I been to a game with such an electric atmosphere; the intensity level was double that of a regular-season game. With every body check, every shot on goal, the fans reacted in unison with their oohs and aahs. Fans groaned with each shot the Ducks missed and cheered when the Ducks put huge hits on their opponents.
After each goal scored by the Ducks, the horn sounded. Fans cheered and waved their towels. Nothing could feel better than high-fiving complete strangers and cheering for the home team. A cup of beer spilled during one of the goal celebrations, but it was worth the $7.
A fan who sat next to me was attending her first playoff game too. “I never expected it to be this awesome. I have been to games before, but this atmosphere was a whole lot different,” said Melissa Montez of Fountain Valley.
Her friend, who was a Stars fan, didn’t have as good of an experience as the Ducks won, 6-2, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. “It was a good game to be at. It would have been better if the Stars won tonight, but we will bounce back,” said Sam Christianson, from Santa Ana.
The logo of the Stanley Cup playoffs emblazons the ice at the Honda Center.
He was wrong. The Ducks won the next game, taking the series.
The Ducks hold a 3-2 series lead heading into tonight’s conference semifinal game against the Los Angeles Kings. One more win for the conference championship.
Who knows? I might find myself back at the Honda Center for a Stanley Cup finals game this year. That would be hockey heaven.
